The New Lowcountry Modern

This Lands End condo renovation is redefining what Lowcountry luxury looks – and feels – like.

Story by Barry Kaufman + Photography by Doug Smith

There’s a movement afoot in Lowcountry décor, one that is subtly transforming what a Lowcountry home feels like. The rustic textures of the Lowcountry – think barn-aged metals and woods, shell-encrusted tabby and a sense of age – are slowly being brought into the modern age with clean lines and simple, contemporary color schemes. The result is an entirely new kind of Lowcountry modern, one where the home mirrors the blissfully bucolic Lowcountry while still oozing contemporary sophistication.

The Best of Both Worlds • The clean modern designs favored by the owners pair beautifully with rustic wide-plank flooring and bucolic Lowcountry scenery.

It’s an emerging ethos that finds its most stunning expression in this Land’s End condominium, which recently emerged from a complete gutting and rebuild under the watchful eye of J Banks Design.

“Once I was in a position to decorate my own home, I realized that a contemporary approach was my first choice to express this part of my personality,” said homeowner Nancy Witowski. “However, Hannah (Toney of J Banks Design) was the one who took the lead to help me realize the other aspect of this home—some Lowcountry elements. She was able to incorporate just the right amount to achieve the optimum balance. Her work with our architect, William Court, was critical to achieving so many elements into technical design.”

In The Details • Serving to truly drive home this Lowcountry modern motif is a carefully curated collection of furnishings and accessories from J Banks Design.

That balance is on exquisite display in the main living space, where a clean contemporary look is tempered with subtle hints of Lowcountry décor from the seagrass incorporated into a table top to the lush tabby accent wall surrounding the fireplace. It frames a jaw-dropping view of Braddock’s Cove as it snakes away toward the Harbour Town Lighthouse on the horizon. Creating this view took a work of architectural brilliance, as a screened-in porch was brought into the main living space through a series of structural support beams, now invisible behind the finished ceiling.

Inside and Out • In bedrooms and baths, colors and patterns were used to marvelously subtle effect to mirror the natural beauty outside.

“Since my husband and I intended to winter in this home, we wanted to maximize the functional day-to day living space,” said Witowski. “Although a difficult decision to eliminate the screened-in porch, we opted to maximize the functional day-to-day living space.”

Another huge structural change was the movement of a staircase, whose shift allowed for a larger bathroom in the master suite as well as a pantry in the kitchen. This brilliant stroke added greater functionality to a kitchen defined by materials and textures that carry the “New Lowcountry” motif beautifully. It also allowed for even greater luxury in the master suite.

Here we see again how contemporary style and Lowcountry rusticism can go hand-in-hand. A clean look thanks to white walls and rich gray trimwork pairs with natural textures like the accent wall in the master bath whose lines emulate the look of the ocean. And like the main living space, the entirety of the master suite was built to capitalize on the mesmerizing scenery.

This artfully realized renovation not only breathed new life into an elegant Lands End condominium, it added to a growing movement which is pushing the boundaries of what Lowcountry luxury can be.